My Dear Hemlock

by Tilly Dillehay

1. Solidify the Patient’s belief that, in order to praise anything about her husband, she must be in total approval of everything about him.

One word of praise would do much more to “improve” him than a hundred critical words ever could. But it would also change her. Giving thanks produces a habit of thankfulness. Gratitude begets more pernicious gratitude.

This sort of girl will always attempt to teach something before she has finished learning it, will always try to hold others to a

standard that she herself is going to go slack on in about a month, and will be perfectly unaware of her own hypocrisy.